Typically, wooden decks extend from the side of a building or house structure, and at the building wall are attached to the building structure by means of a ledger board from which joists and remaining deck structure elements extend. In the past, ledger boards have simply been nailed or lagged to the building structure, typically through the exterior cladding, sheathing and into a framing joist or header. Under tensile load, the lag screws or nails can readily fail, allowing the deck ledger board to be detached, and thereby allowing the deck to fall freely. Thus, a means for retaining the ledger board, together with the deck structure, securely in place to prevent the consequences of falling, particularly under turbulent conditions, is desirable.